In March 2013, the landscape of British TV changed forever, by placing the viewer in ordinary people’s living rooms up and down the country. Channel 4’s Gogglebox saw the nation go from cynics - "Why an earth l would I watch people watching TV?” - to loyal devotees - “Get yourself a friendship like Jenny and Lee” - overnight.
Almost a decade and 20 seasons later, the show has become as much of a staple British emblem as a Sunday roast, Paddington Bear or a cuppa tea. But just how do the producers create such a perfect storm of seeming candidness, unstaged wit and deadpan commentary?
We’re here to take you behind the scenes, and unpack what is going on behind their screens.
How is Gogglebox filmed?
Turns out there's two cameras set up that capture the cast’s telly-viewing reactions; one camera films the wide shot and the second is catered to recording close ups.
In 2012, the show was pitched to Channel 4 by Studio Lambert’s Director of Factual Entertainment Tania Alexander and Creative Director Tim Harcourt.
Tania Alexander previously told Vice, “I was clear on how I wanted Gogglebox to look from the off. I wanted a single frame that, once agreed and signed off, never moved. Mary and Giles’ room, for example was a perfect frame. I loved that room as soon as I saw it.”
Is Gogglebox filmed in their real houses?
It certainly is the cast’s real homes and sofas. The filming crew sets up the two cameras in each family’s living rooms and the cast are then left unattended to watch TV.
However, they are not completely alone for the entire process. The crew – which consist of a producer, a camera person, a sound person and a logger - actually set up shop in a separate room of the family’s home. The Tapper family’s control room is Josh’s bedroom and there is a van parked outside Jenny and Lee’s caravan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was filmed remotely.
Are the Gogglebox families told what to watch?
Sorry to kill the magic, but yes the viewing schedule is created and set by producers and sometimes the cast don’t even watch the full episode. The crew film reactions to five or six shows per session, with a mixture of telly watched in advance, live or after it’s aired.
Tania said, “We try to include a live show, a couple of news stories, an entertainment show and a documentary or two. We’ll look at a show like Killing Eve for example, and we’ll do a cutdown. We’ll watch the episode in full ourselves, and then we will make a narrative cutdown for the field.”
How long do they film Gogglebox?
The crew are at each family’s home two evenings a week, for two six hour shifts of filming. After editing, the final cut it sent to Channel 4 on Thursday and aired on Friday.
How do you get on Gogglebox?
The secret behind such a loveable and diverse cast lies in its random allocation; a public application process for Gogglebox doesn’t exist.
The families and friends on the show are The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s golden ticket equivalent of TV selection. Everyone has been scouted and persuaded to go on.
About when the show was initially made, Tania said, "First and foremost, we didn’t want people who wanted to be on telly. I wanted to have to persuade people to do it, because people who want to be on telly tend to try too hard.
“I sent casting teams around the UK and we went into hairdressers and shops on high streets, and hung out in markets. There wasn’t any game plan, I just wanted teams on the ground, looking for interesting people to take part.”
In 2015, Chief Executive of Studio Lambert, Stephen Lambert said, "Everybody on Gogglebox has been found and persuaded to be on the show and I think that’s the key to why they are likeable and why the show works, because we get to know these people. We’ve never advertised for people on Gogglebox."
In the past, casting has been done by producers making Instagram callouts and asking people to tag the funniest person they know to take part.
Executive producer Victoria Ray said, "The ideal people are ones who don't know that they're funny. We like people who are charismatic, engaging and don't necessarily see themselves as TV personalities.”
If you’re wanting your five minutes of fame, this isn’t the casting call for you.
Do families on Gogglebox get paid?
Cast members are given a monthly allowance of £1,500 for them to split at their own discretion. Plus, they get free takeaways.
We’re wondering why the Malone family have always get a plate of cakes or pastries on the foot stool. We’d be straight onto Deliveroo.